Ambitious effort from Broken
BSS offers a restlessly creative new work, while incorporating elements such as hip-hop and handclaps.
Published Oct. 25, 2005
In 2002, Canadian band Broken Social Scene took the indie world by storm with its second album, You Forgot It in People. The band's new self-titled album manages to be just as ambitious, but more obscure and restless.
Calling Broken Social Scene a band might be a stretch, though. With at least a dozen members, it almost seems like an idealistic, experimental collective straining for a common musical goal. Its members relish layers of production, mixing distortion with studio chatter with random cries. It also utilizes a veritable armada of instruments, heavy on guitars, drums and horns.
The emphasis on layering and production has led to more muted vocals in most Broken Social Scene songs. The band employs multiple singers, including the solo artist Feist, yet catching the lyrics themselves can be a challenge.
The lyrical content, when it can be understood, varies. Sometimes it touches on the emotionally profound, such as in "Ibi Dreams of Pavement (A Better Day)" and the frustrated, graphic "It's All Gonna Break." But in other tracks such as "Swimmers," repetitive lyrics such as "When you always get up late/ You'll never be on time," leave something to be desired. Ultimately, the band always leaves the listener with the hint of something more, which is the trick to such obscurity.
Herein lies the double-edged sword for Broken Social Scene and the album in general.
The band aims to be obscure. Catchy hits and audience appeal are not what these Canadians want. With this album, even the track titles become more surreal, such as "Finish Your Collapse and Stay for Breakfast." That attitude, on the one hand, can lead to some rather pretentious music and hides quality and skill under swallowed lyrics and too many layers of murk.
Yet, with persistence, one will see the brilliance beneath the surface. The music resembles organized chaos, with a free creative spirit breathing life into the majority of the tracks. The music tests limits and tends to become an atmospheric, organic experience.
This is due, in large part, to the skilled musical talent of the band. The size of the band, the range of instruments, the creative choices ("Windsurfing Nation" features hand claps) and different vocals allow for a broad expanse of possibilities in their songs. The band knows how to build its musical layers into a satisfying climax. With 14 tracks running more than an hour in length, the album gives plenty of room for this.
And several tracks do succeed notably. "Ibi Dreams of Pavement (A Better Day)," "7/4 (Shoreline)" and "Windsurfing Nation" combine some of Broken Social Scene's best elements. Other tracks such as "Hotel," "Handjobs for the Holidays" and "Superconnected" feel too muted or perhaps incomplete — or maybe simply overproduced.
But the astounding finale, more than anything, justifies the genius of the album. The last track, "It's All Gonna Break," clocks in at nearly 10 minutes but remains shockingly free of filler. It moves through various musical phases and delves into emotionally desperate depths. The lyrics are more meaningful, the vocals are clearer and the music is stronger. The music ascends to breathtaking levels once the horn section kicks in at the middle, not to mention the indescribable last few minutes.
Broken Social Scene continues to make its mark with this latest self-titled effort. In defying easy description, the band manages to stay interesting and creative. This might not be the best album for the casual listener — you sometimes have to struggle through the pretension to see the beauty — but it will offer countless rewards to the dedicated.
